If you go out on a run, but take no equipment for recording heart rate, distance, pace, etc., did it really happen?
Felt the need to just run this morning, the up and back along the waterfront that I consider my usual not-quite-2-miles-when-I’m-feeling-icky run. Up, back, no beeps, no watch whatsoever, so clue how long it took me or how my heart was doing. Just a nice run to remind myself that I do this stuff because it feels good, and because it’s fun.
Not been wanting to write much of late. Had a lot of things going on, personally, and no real desire to share them with the world at large.
Running’s been going pretty well. Did not quite 15 miles on Sunday. Ironic sight of the day while out running: Woman sitting on her back porch in a “Race for the Cure” T-shirt, smoking a cigarette.
I can tell I’ve been a little stressed, though – eating like there’s no tomorrow. Makes one yearn for the days before 14 year old anorexics started having strokes and you could still get real dexatrim over the counter. The new stuff just isn’t the same, and who needs a dressed up caffeine pill, really? If I wanted to get jittery I’d just drink more coffee. Not there’s been a lack of that in my diet, either.
Anyway. Writing more out of a sense of obligation than any real desire to post, so I’ll end this here and save us all trouble of more inane writing.
This starts to sum it up (from a book I just finished re-reading):
“My dear,” the Magus said softly, “it sounds as if – and please pardon me for my presumption – you’re looking for a reason not to need him.”
“I am,” Joanna said desperately. “That is… I don’t need him. Not really, I mean…”
“You mean you don’t want to need him.”
She was silent, feeling by the tightness of her chest, the sudden hurt of her throat, that he spoke the truth. “Him,” she said slowly, when she could again control her voice. “Or anyone.”
The velvet arm tightened about her shoulders; the light, beautiful voice spoke from the dark, “Why not?”
“Because I’m afraid if I need him I’ll screw myself up for him,” she replied, with the perfect candor of weariness. “Because I’m afraid I can’t think straight around him. Because I’m afraid I’m not doing it right — I’m not being the right kind of person. And mostly because I don’t want to need him and then have him leave.”
“Ah, Joannna,” the little man sighed. “My dear child. Do you really consider yourself that foolish, or that weak?”
And that’s a bit of how I’m feeling (as “Joanna,” of course). New relationship, old worries, old anxieties. That foolish, that weak. Even though I know I’m not.
That said, I think I’m more afraid of cutting myself off than opening myself up, truth be told. For, as the Magus goes on to say:
“If love didn’t make us insane,” the Magus said gently, “who among us would have the courage to step outside the walls we build to protect ourselves against life?”
Too true, Magus, too true.
Was up at 5 this morning to go do a training triathlon with the Club down at Hains Point. I had been wavering yesterday, feeling totally unprepared (which I pretty much was), but popped a benadryl at 8:30, got into bed and was crashed by 9:30.
Got up before the sun, at 5ish. Made coffee (that I am just now sipping). Got a small b’fast, gathered my gear and got out the door to bike over to the point.
Registered, got marked up on the arm and leg and moved over to set up transition. I had everything laid out nicely, a pleasant change from the last time I did one of these (and no rain!). We wandered over to the pool and I actually got warmed up in the pool for once; I usually just stretch and get going – felt better having done 100 meters before hand.
Swim went well. Was cold to start (65?), but not unbearable once we got into the water. Did my race trick of breathing to one side instead of my normal two sided breathing. Should have seeded myself further up, I ran into the guy in front of me and didn’t get to pass him until the last 50 meters. He creamed me on the bike and run, but I had him on the swim. Swim time: 8:43.
Transition 1: 3:01:09 (including running back from the pool, so not bad).
Bike went okay. I could tell I had not been training. That said, I passed a couple of folks and was only passed by the folks who were way ahead of me in terms of loops (3 loop course). Dried out relatively quickly so it wasn’t too cold, post-swim. Oh, and I saw Tod out with his AIDS Marathon training folks, which was fun, even if I didn’t have more time to do more than yell out his name and wave as I zipped by on the bike. Bike time: 55:12
Transition 2: 1:42 (would be faster if I wore the same socks or didn’t wear socks, but that’s not happening, nor is dumping the damned orthotics. Yet).
Run went very well, I was quite pleased, except that I could have kicked it up sooner than I did. With a mile or less to go I picked up the pace and the leg turnover and did really well with it. Run time: 32:39 (meaning just at 10 minute miles average – course was 3.2 miles).
Total time: 1:41:09, a good 1/2 an hour faster than my last sprint race. So yes, quite pleased with the results.
For next time, I need to actually train, picking up the bike and the swim portions more (since I’m already running enough at the moment), and more speed work in all three sports. I think I can get it down more, especially on the bike, and get closer to an hour.
Woke up this morning feeling like I’d downed half a bottle of tequila and stayed up all night dancing with go-go boys the previous evening.
Alas, I did nothing of the sort last night.
The rain hitting the windows this morning confirmed the source of the headache. It also forced a change from the normal plans to bike into work (too messy – too much prep to get ready for work once I’m here) to walking, and the associated accelerated schedule to get out the door. Thankfully I’d originally thought I’d had time to make enough coffee to have some at home, so I’d started the water early and was able to make the exlir of life prior to walking out the door.
I’ve gotten spoiled on dragging my own coffee into the office. The stuff I make at home with the french press, even factoring in the time in the thermos (the secret is to pre-heat the thermos with boiling water while the coffee is steeping), is so much better tasting than the drip stuff they have here. Their coffee’s not bad, at least the faux-Starbucks stuff isn’t, but it’s not the same as good coffee from a french press. I prefer my oils unfiltered by paper, thankyouverymuch. Once a week or so, though, as I did this morning, I supplement the normal dosage with a shot of espresso (note the lack of a “x” there) from a lovely street vendor who sits out in front of the building and makes specialty coffee drinks from her little stall. She’s fun to talk with, and always remembers your drink (“Single or double espresso this morning?”). This morning she and I had fun discussing how tourists confuse the National Mall with a shopping mall.
Much better now that I’m caffeinated, but I’d still have liked a warning that I was going to wake up feeling hungover from the weather.
Okay, the oven works, the cake came out very well. It does seem to run hot for the setting it was on (i.e., 375 setting was reading 425 or so when I pulled the cake out), but that’s why I got an oven thermometer, to be able to tell these things. Never trust the dial on your stove, always double check it.
Inspired by a co-worker (and bored with not cooking enough stuff), I’m baking a chocolate ‘cake’ at the moment. It’s more brownie like than cake like, and it’s only in an 8×8 pan, but man is it good stuff. Easy recipe, baking soda and vinegar to make it rise. Tons of sugar and a good gob of oil. Ain’t nothin’ healthy or low-fat about this thing, but, as I said, man is it good stuff. Provided it comes out okay.
You see, I’ve not really tested how well the electric oven works. I’ve used it once for some hash browns, but not for real baking yet, so this is the acid test.
Wish me luck.
The following items from the Uberlist are now completed:
1. Move.
3. Get a new dining room table.
8. Cull my belongings before I move, not after.
9. Get a television.
10. Donate/sell extra stuffed animals.
11. Sell the Kirby vacuum cleaner. (well, donated it, not sold, but gotten rid of, so done)
16. Get rid of old computer equipment.
19. Repair or dispose of my old bedside lamp. (disposed of)
20. Get new dining room chairs.
34. Get a wetsuit.
37. Decide whether I’m doing an Ironman race next year & if so, sign up for it. (not going to do it)
39. Get more exercise clothes.
40. Get speed and cadence sensors for the new bike.
52. Get a physical.
56. Get an eye exam.
57. Get new glasses.
62. Have friends over for dinner.
63. Go to the Eagle.
71. Send some more snail mail cards to friends & family.
72. Go see my new niece when she pops out.
73. Remember my brother’s birthday.
76. Set up a filing system for financial records.
78. Set a plan to save funds up for a down payment. (quick plan, but since I bought…)
79. Make a plan & start the process to buy property. (yeah, again, quick plan)
81. Close another credit card account.
87. Play a game with my niece on the DS.
97. Get a new toiletry kit bag.
98. Get more dress pants.
103. Get myself the ring I’ve been eyeing. (only one I wear most days now)
105. Get new styli for the Treo.
The following are “in progress”:
12. Organize & put my CDs away. (they’re away, but not organized)
13. Replace bookshelves. (tossed the old ones…)
29. Complete a fall marathon. (training now!)
30. Practice more Yoga. (off and on)
31. Bike more when running errands. (heck yeah!)
32. Work on my core strength. (sort of)
36. Get comfortable riding in the aero position on my bike. (getting there)
38. Weights, weights, weights. (sort of – need to get back to it)
46. Eat less, more frequently. (definitely working this one)
50. Develop and follow a stretching program. (stretching is good)
53. Lay off the spicy foods. (sort of – see last week’s iron stomach comments)
55. Minimize my consumption of sodas. (cut down drastically of late)
58. Cook more tempeh. (love tempeh!)
64. Get out of the apartment more. (sort of)
67. Do more massage exchanges (6 this year). (one down…)
77. Squirrel away more money in savings. (upped the auto allocation)
86. Beat Kirby’s Canvas Curse. (gone through once)
88. Write more on my web site(s). (auto loading of page in the daily reads helps)
And the following are now OBE and not to be completed:
2. Get another bedside table. (no room in the newly rearranged bedroom for another bedside table)
25. Run the Cherry Blossom ten-miler in under 2 hours. (didn’t run it at all – tendonitis issues)
Did measured speedwork for the first time in, like, ever, this morning. And it was So Much Fun. 1.5 mile tempo pace, half mile cool down. Was supposed to do three repeats, only did two repeats because I thought I didn’t have enough time (turned out I could have – oh well), but man was it fun to run faster than normal again.
Might even be able to beat 1/2 an hour on the 5k I’m doing next month if I keep that up. Not that 1/2 an hour is terribly fast on a 5k, but I don’t think I’ve done that yet, and it’d be nice to do.
The tempo trainer thingey I got last week is definitely helping me keep the turnover going. Turnover (how many time your feet hit the pavement) was steady (with the beeping) at both the fast and the recovery paces, which is as it should be. More proof that switching over to the evolution running stuff was a good thing. I’m sure I was quite the sight this morning, tempo trainer beeping in one hand, heart rate monitor held in the other (showing pace and distance). But still, it was so much fun running up and down the boardwalk area at the Waterfront doing the repeats. I wish I’d discovered this stuff sooner.
You can tell it’s almost the full moon – work is starting to get crazy again. Really crazy. Ick.
Sunday I managed to burn myself pretty well on the shoulders on my morning run. Got up too late (must’ve needed the sleep), so ran later than I’d have liked to, and the shoulders got nicely toasted while out and about. Doesn’t hurt, just looks pretty wicked red. Biked a tad, too. A lovely dinner of Indian food with L, then up chatting far too late.
A meeting of the cult co-op this evening. Very slow, not many folks showed up, which is typical of the summer months. There’s still a few members who do not like change, and they’ve been agitating against change. The latest tactic is to bad talk the building manager (whom they dislike, because she’s competent and doesn’t kowtow to them) behind her back once she’s left for the day. Charming. A shame we can’t record it, get the manager a nice suit for slander. Ah well.
As for now, it’s time to crash so that I can get up and do some speedwork in the morning. Not looking forward to it, but it should help. And it’ll be a welcome change from the normal slowish pace.